Inflatable boats are characterized by one, or more, inflatable tubes, a floor and a transom. The inflated tubes provide much more buoyancy and stability than a rigid boat of a similar size.
Commonly, seats provided for inflatable boat are either transverse benches or forward facing seats. A disadvantage of a forward face seat is that the controls of an outboard motor are located behind the helmsman, where they are difficult to reach or see.
Passengers, in inflatable boats commonly sit either within the boat, on a bench seat, a frame supported seat or a central console, or else they sit on the side of the boat on one of the inflatable tubes (also called pontoons). The latter position is often preferred by the helmsman, especially when the inflatable boat is powered by an outboard motor with a tiller. In addition, seating within the boat is often limited, so some passengers sit on the tubes.
A disadvantage of sitting on the tube is that no back support is provided. Sitting, without back support, for an extended period of time is tiring. In addition, when sitting on a tube without a back support there is a risk that a person will lose their balance and fall out of the boat, especially when the boat is hit by a wave or wake or is subject to a harsh maneuver.
Further, statistics indicate that a majority of boating fatalities occur on boats smaller than 20 feet, often because the victim is unable to re-board the boat after falling overboard. Re-boarding without assistance can be very difficult when no boarding platform or boarding ladder is present. Thus, a small, portable boarding ladder is desirable.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.